Christ is Risen!!

I just love Easter. As a Christian, this celebration is the high point of the year. The resurrection of our beautiful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is a fact that is beyond compare. There is nothing else like it! The One who created the universe chose to die for us and give us new life. What can compare to this?!

But, as our pastor said yesterday, I don't want the fact of the resurrection to simply be good theology. I want to live it. I want the resurrection to shape all of who I am and every aspect of how I live. This is true worship! May God make it more evident in my life. And despite my many shortcomings and failures, I believe that He will, because He is good!

We truly had a glorious celebration this year. On Good Friday, David and a couple of other men at our church took some of the kids to walk through the stations of the cross at an abbey close to where we live.

The service at our church Friday evening filled me with awe as I contemplated all that the Lord has done for us. I was reminded of a poem by Denise Levertov.

On a Theme from Julian's (of Norwich) Chapter XX

Six hours outstretched in the sun, yes,

hot wood, the nails, blood trickling

into the eyes, yes--

but the thieves on their neighbor crosses survived till after the soldiers

had come to fracture their legs, or longer.

Why single out this agony? What's

a mere six hours?

Torture then, torture now,

the same, the pain's the same,

immemorial branding iron,

electric prod.

Hasn't a child

dazed in teh hospital ward they reserve

for the most abused, known worse?

This air we're breathing,

these very clouds, ephemeral billows

languid upon the sky's

moody ocean, we sare

with women and men

who've held out days and weeks on the rack--

and in the ancient dust of the world

what particles

of the long tormented,

what ashes.

But Julian's lucid spirit leapt

to the difference:

perceived why no awe could measure

that brief day's endless length,

why among all the tortured

One only is 'King of Grief'.

the oneing, she saw, the oneing

with the Godhead opened Him utterly

to the pain of all minds, all bodies

--sands of the sea, of the desert--

from first beginning

to last day. The great wonder is

that the human cells of His flesh and bone

didn't explode

when utmost Imagination rose

in that flood of knowledge. Unique

in agony, Infinite strength, Incarnate,

empowered Him to endure

inside of history,

through those hours when He took to Himself

the sum total of anguish and drank

even the lees of that cup:

within the mes of the web, Himself

woven within it, yet seeing it,

seeing it whole. Every sorrow and desolation

He saw, and sorrowed in kinship.

Grace was moved by the image of Jesus with nails in His hands. She kept saying, "I no like that." Her heart of love and compassion is so wonderful to see.

Of course, the highlight of the weekend was the celebration of His resurrection. We start celebrating on Saturday night with a beautiful and exuberant service, and then continue celebrating on Sunday with Jewish dancing, games and crafts for the kids and a fun time of fellowship (and eating!). We had some new friends join us this year, so that was neat.

Yana wanted to draw a picture (icon) in celebration of Christ's resurrection this year. It is patterned off of an icon that we have at home.

I pray that you all had a glorious Easter celebration this year, and that Christ's resurrection fills you with hope and encouragement this day and always!